Germany/Austria trip
 

We are disembarking our Viking River cruise ship on May 17 in Nuremberg and plan on taking the train from there to Rothenburg.
Questions: how easy will it be to get to the train station ( with luggage) From the docking area in Nuremberg- are cabs easily available?

Once we arrive by train in Rothenburg - where we will stay for two nights- where is a good hotel convenient to the train and sights in Rothenburg? Again do we use cabs to get from Rothenburg train station to hotel and two days later back to train station.

We will take the train to Munich and find a hotel for our two days there. Suggestions for a hotel close to train station? We will rent a car as we leave Munich and begin our car traveling around Germany and Austria.

Thank you for your suggestions! Melissa.

Melissa,
I am pretty sure there will be taxis near the boat landing in Nuremburg or your hosts on the ship will be able to help you with transportation to the train station. Go to Rothenburg.de for information on hotels in Rothenburg. There are lots of them. You can also find hotels on the usual sites like Hotels.com. We generally expect to pay about $100 per night or a little less for a double with breakfast in Rothenburg ODT. It is a small town and if you stay anywhere within the walls you will be close to the action.

Munich has literally dozens of hotels in the area around the main train station. You can find all star levels and all prices. You should be able to get your pick in May. If you post the level of hotel or your hotel budget we might be able to help you more.

When you rent a car in Munich be sure to pick up the car at a rental lot away from the train station or airport. They tack on a 19% surcharge for picking up cars at the airport or train station. there is no limitation on where you turn it in so you can take it right back to the airport if you like with no penalty. I have been happy with arranging for my car rentals through Gemut.com. They know the little tricks like where to pick up the car.

When you drive into Austria stop at a gas station on the German side of the border and pick up an Austrian road pass to stick on your window to make sure you don't get him with a big fine in Austria. Seems to me like they cost about 6-7 euros.

Aside from the walled-in historic rebuilt tourist attraction Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a regular town - between the train station and the historic town that you're visiting there is a stretch of maybe 15 minutes on foot where there is nothing "historic", just a regular town. Taxis usually meet incoming trains - the train line is a minor one, only slow regionals.

You probably want to stay in one of the hotels that are inside the walls of the historic Rothenburg, since that is what you came to see. So make sure you check addresses on google or such online maps so you know whether you're inside or outside the walls.

Look at a map, you'll see what I mean.

Re comment from "aisle seat": I agree with recommemndation to reserve car through gemut. Re: Austrian car sticker. It is called a "Vignette" and only needed if you plan to use the Austrian autobahns and Schnellstrassen These roads are numbered on road maps as "A" and "S". If you plan to stay off these roads, no need for a vignette. Some poeple, just to be sure that they don't get caught driving on one of those roads by mistake, buy a vignette anyhow. They are now about the Euro equivalent of about $US10 for 10 days, I believe. If you get caught on an A or S road without a vignette, it will cost you about $US 140. No vignettes on German autobahns, yet!

the train line is a minor one, only slow regionals.>

It is a dead-end spur line coming from Steinach where I think you must always change trains or nearly - simple change from one platform to an adjoining one usually IME.

All of your trips can be done by the Bavaria ticket - Bavarian Lander Card which two folks can buy for about 29 euros total and then get to hop regional trains all day long throughout Bavaria and also on city buses and trams (probably a bus linking Rothenburg's train station and town center and Regensburg's docks and its train station - but you must buy it at a train station I believe -nothing in advance just buy from machines or at ticket windows for a euro or two more I think.

Regional trains are much slower than the IC and ICE trains but you are not going far and the savings are immense.

For lots about German trains, Lander Cards, etc OI always spotlight these IMO Wunderbar sites - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

There are no reservations possible on regional trains so just hop on and look for empty seats. Lander Cards often do not cost much more in first class so with luggage you may want to go that as there is IME usually lots of empty seats in first class but not always so in 2nd class. Not all regional trains however have first and second class but most I have been on do.

Länder tickets can be a good deal for those who get up late, but if you want to be out and about early, they are not for you:

From http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/pr...r-ticket.shtml

Länder Tickets are valid from Monday to Friday for one day of your choice from 9 a.m. until 3 a.m. of the following day (on bank holidays for the whole day). Some tickets can also be used for night time travel, they are valid from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning

As per AisleSeat, you will find assistance from your onboard cruise staff in obtaining a taxi from the harbour in Nürnberg/Nuremberg. The taxi will take around 15mins to the train station as you (usually) dock in the east of the city. Not sure how much time you'll have between docking and wanting to get to Rothenburg o.d. Tauber, but if you have a little time, why not go in to the centre of town (the Altstadt) and have lunch/snack at the Bratwursthäusle on Hauptmarkt (the pedestrian street leading up from the main square to the castle). It's a little "hut" style place with seating outside and wooden benches inside around the open grill. You can eat in, or order take-away/to go and they are cheap and delicious! There is also another good place just across the way in Rathausplatz called Bratwurst Roslein.

For Rothenburg and Munich I'm with the others - stay central/close to the sights you want to see. Staying in the centre of Rothenburg would be preferable to staying by the train station, so look at places like Gasthof Goldener Greifen or Hotel Eisenhut & Hotel Markusturm for something special.

In Munich, I'm inclined to suggest not staying right at the train station, even though there are many hotels around it, but rather up towards Marienplatz, Viktuallienmarkt or near the Opera/Residenz area. It's very easy to get to/from the Hauptbahnhof (taxi or metro/subway) so no need to stay right at it (IMO). There are many prettier areas to stay in Munich.

And don't forget about the road tax sticker (Vignette) for Austria - great advice.

Länder Tickets are valid from Monday to Friday for one day of your choice from 9 a.m. until 3 a.m. of the following day (on bank holidays for the whole day). Some tickets can also be used for night time travel, they are valid from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning>

michele - are you saying there are no Lander Tickets on weekends? If so I am curious as to why not?

No idea why not, I'm just quoting verbatim what it says on the website of which I'm giving the URL.

Click on Bavaria to see the full conditions. The Länder tickets are valid on the weekends, during which the time restrictions do not apply.

I suppose "getting up late" is subjective!